Season 7

In todays extended musical episode - called "The Evolution of Irish Music in 12 Tracks" - we bring you a very personal selection of Irish music from Mike. As he works (enjoys!) his way through a very personal selection of mus...

Have you ever wondered how the Irish surnames in your family tree came about? Understanding just HOW your Irish surnames developed is KEY to understanding more about your Irish origins and likely locations in Ireland. In this...

In this episode we take a trip inside the "Hedge Schools" of Ireland - places of learning that were dotted around Ireland right up to the mid-1800s. We also look at the prevalence of so many biblical/latin first names in Irel...

What do Laurel & Hardy, Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, Mary Black and Carina Collins all have in common? They all feature in this episode of the Letter from Ireland podcast where we focus on two recent movies and look at some o...

Welcome to Series 7, Episode 20 of The Letter from Ireland Show. In this episode, Carina talks with a very unique individual that we discovered in the wilds of West Cork! Cormac Lally originally comes from Tullamore in County...

Today we tell the story of two Irish men who ended up fighting on the opposite sides of the American Civil War. One was Patrick Cleburne - also known as "Stonewall of the West" - who was born in the same village as Carina. Th...

In this episode of the Letter from Ireland podcast we take a literary turn! First off we have a look at that literary masterpiece of Jane Austen - Pride and Prejudice - having fun with some of the Irish versions of the charac...

Do you have ancestors who originated in the counties of Ulster? In this episode we interview Janet Hancock who is the Deputy Head of Public Services at PRONI (The Public Records Office of Northern Ireland). We chat about: Jan...

We start this episode by hitting the high seas in the company of Saint Brendan the Navigator - a man who roamed the known (and unknown) world using the simple boats of his day. We then come back onto dry land and embark on a ...

As we approach Easter here in Ireland, the thoughts of many Irish people turn to the historic events around the Easter Rising of 1916. In this episode we talk about that time as well as another Irish leader who was killed 100...

In today's episode of the Letter from Ireland podcast, we take a trip up along the St. Lawrence River in Canada with two stories linked to that part of the world. First, we stop off at Grosse Île just outside Quebec City and ...

Here in Ireland we are getting ready to fill in the population census for 2022. We use this opportunity to chat about the census down through the years and it's usefulness to genealogists and family historians. Carina also re...

This is a musical episode (with a running commentary) of the Letter from Ireland show. Over 10 tracks, Mike takes you through an Irish musical journey that shaped his growing awareness and appreciation of the Irish music that...

In this special episode we celebrate St. Patrick's Day! The parades and celebrations are returning in Ireland after a 2 year absence. Along with some very appropriate music, we chat about the first and sur-names that have com...

In this episode of the Letter from Ireland podcast we visit the beautiful islands off the west coast of Ireland. For many centuries, these islands grew in population as the natives of Ireland were forced off good land on the ...

Today we take to the streets of the city of Edinburgh in Scotland. Edinburgh was the home to Seán Connery, the actor who played James Bond for many years. We also examine another native of Edinburgh - Arthur Conan Doyle, the ...

In this episode we cover two infamous real life murder cases in the west of Ireland during the 1800s. The first murder was as a result of mass evictions from an Irish estate during the famine - and the second involved a trave...

In this episode of the Letter from Ireland podcast we look at the place the humble Irish club called the "shillelagh" has in Irish history and tradition. Also, did you know that Shillelagh is also a place?The ancestors of a v...

In this special St. Valentine's episode of the Letter from Ireland podcast we share the story of Saint Valentine's association with the city of Dublin - and the tale of love and loss of a young couple who were married in Kilm...

In this special musical episode of the Letter from Ireland Podcast we celebrate the music of the Irish traditional group known as The Chieftains. Following the death of their leader late last year, Paddy Moloney, we have come...

In this episode of the Letter from Ireland Podcast we celebrate the upcoming season of Celtic spring here in Ireland - known as Imbolc. We choose music and stories to understand more of this significant time in the celtic cal...

In this episode of the Letter from Ireland Podcast we look at the overlap culturally between Ireland and Scotland. This is especially relevant as we approach the annual Robbie Burns night - what has effectively turned into Sc...

In this episode of the Letter from Ireland Podcast, we look at the life and works of two of Ireland's most famous literary giants - George Bernard Shaw and James Joyce. We take an unusual angle on the stories of both and thro...

In this first episode of the Letter from Ireland Show for 2022 we share stories and music that highlight the esteemed place that animals have in Irish mythology and folklore, music and family surnames.